Laundry-marking machine.



C. C. MITCHELL. I

LAUNDRY MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man APR. 21. 1916.

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Patented. Ja11.15, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

C. C. MITCHELL.

kAUNDRY MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21. 1916.

Patented J an. 15, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

%%ZMM CLARENCE C. MITCHELL, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

LAUNDRY-MARKING MACI-IIN Application filed April 21, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE C. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Laundry-Marking Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of laundry marking machines in which there is a stationary platen over which the material to be marked is stretched, and a printing head containing the type and capable of movement toward and from the stationary platen to effect a printing operation.

After the article has been marked and thereafter repeatedly washed, it sometimes happens that the mark becomes dim and illegible but not wholly washed away. In cases of this kind it is desirable that the same .mark again be reprinted on the article exactly over the previous mark with the letters of the new mark registering accurately with those of the partly Washed out mark.

My object is to provide means of simple, durable and inexpensive construction applied to a laundry marking machine of the class described, that will enable an operator to quickly and easily place a laundry article in position on the marking machine, so that it may be reprinted with the same letters or characters in exactly the same place as a previously made and partly obliterated laundry mark, to thereby avoid the injury to the appearance of the article which would be occasioned by having numerous marks, some fresh and others partly obliterated, on the same article.

A further object is to provide means for automatically moving the centering device from its position for use by the operator in centering an article to be marked over the platen to position spaced apart from the type wheels during the printing operation, whereby the said centering device will not in any way interfere with the printing operation of the machine or be engaged by the type, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a part of a laundry marking machine, having my centering attachment applied thereto.

Fig. 2 shows a top or plan view of the marking machine guard and connected parts lea in as sprains there n threaten whi Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15,1918.

Serial No. 92,682.

the type pass in effecting a printing opera" tion. In this view my improved centering device is shown in position for use by the operator in centering the article to be marked.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation partly in section, illustrating a portion of the type wheels and the platen and an article to be marked between them. In this figure the centering plate is shown in position at its limlit of movement away from the platen, an

Fig. 4: shows a vertical, sectional view of the platen and part of the guard, with the centering device in position over the platen and ready for use by the operator in centering an article to be marked.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate a suitable base or standard for the marking machine. Supported on this base is a shaft 11, upon which the type bearing head 12 is mounted to be capable of a rock ing movement. Carried by the type bearing head 12 are the type wheels 13.

On top of the standard 10 is a base plate 15, upon which the platen 16 is mounted. Springs 17 may be interposed between the platen and its support for cushioning purposes.

Mounted upon the base 15 are two guard arms 18, which are extended forwardly on opposite sides of the platen and which are provided above the platen with a guard plate 19 having a slot therein to receive the platen. These arms 18 are also provided with guard arms 20 normally arranged below the platen to prevent the operators fingers from entering between the guard plate 19 and the platen. This guard device that is mounted on the arms 18 is connected at its forward end to a guard frame 21, which normally extends upwardly in front of the type wheels and is connected to the type bearing head 12 by the rods 22 which thereby controls the movement of the entire guard device.

The mechanism heretofore specifically described forms no part of my present invention, but is illustrated and described for the purpose of showing the adjacent parts of a laundry marking machine to which my improved centering device is attached and by which it is operated. v

When a printing operation is being made,

' es ential that the cur-vied. guide plate a be provided with an opening larger than the printing faces of the type on the type wheels, and that this opening be continuous from one side to the other.

My improved centering device comprises a centering plate 23 having a series of small rectangular openings 2% formed therein. This plate is provided with arms 25 pivotally mounted on the shafts 26, which shafts are so located that when the centering plate is in one position of its movement, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4:, the openings at are directly over the center of the platen and when in its other position the entire plate 23 stands spaced apart a considerable distance from the platen, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The arrangement of the openings in the plate 23 is such that when viewed from above the openings are spaced apart from each other just the same distance as are the printed characters on an article having a laundry mark, and the openings are preferably of the same size as the printed characters.

F or the purpose of moving the centering plate to its various positions at the proper times with relation to the movement of the type bearing head, I have provided on one of the shafts 26 a pinion 27 engaged by a rack bar 28, which rack bar is provided with a slot 29 through which the screw 30 is passed, which screw is seated in the guard device 18 so that the rack bar may have a longitudinal sliding movement and be held in engagement with the pinion 527 at all times during such movement. The other end of the rack bar 28 is pivotally connected to a bell crank lever 31, which lever is fulcrumed at 32 to the arm 18 and has an upwardly and rearwardlv extending portion to serve as a handle. The other end of the bell crank lever 31 is provided with a spring 33 for normally holding the rack bar 28 in such position that the centering plate will be directly over the platen, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

For the purpose of automatically moving .this centering plate to its other limit of movement just prior to the printing operation. I have provided on the type bearing head 12 an arm 3-t so shaped and arranged that when the type bearing head moves downwardly, the arm 34 will engage the handle of the bell crank lever 31 and move it against the pressure of the spring 33 to position for moving the centering plateaway from the platen, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Obviousl this centering plate will be thus held until the type bearing head is again elevated, whereupon the spring 33 will return the centering plate to its position over the platen.

In practical operation and assuming that the operator has an article with a partly obliterated laundry mark thereon, and then places the article on top of the platen and beneath the centering plate, then by adjusting the article under the centering plate he may very quickly and accurately bring all of the marked characters on the article directly within the corresponding rectangular opening of the centering plate. Assuming further that the same characters have been set up on the type wheels, then obviously during the next operation of the machine the same characters will be marked upon the articles in exactly the same places as the characters were formerly marked, so that the mark is renewed in a plainly legible manner, with the renewal printed characters on the article exactly centered upon the previously printed marks, thus avoiding such damage to the article being marked as would occur if the same characters were marked slightly out of alinementwith each other on the same article. 7

Furthermore the centering device is not in any way objectionable nor does it cause any loss of time by the operator even though he does not desire the marks being'made over previously made marks, because the action of the centering device is wholly automatic and the operator need pay no attention to it whatever unless he desires to use it in centering a new mark over a previously made one.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a platen, type capable of movement relative to the platen, a cen tering plate having an elongated opening with regularly alined sides through which characters on an article may be viewed by the operator, whereby a loose article may be placed on the platen in position to exactly determine where type will strike on the an ticle during a printing operation, and for thereby determining where a plurality of characters will be printed on the article to be printed, and means for automatically moving the centering plate away from the platen just prior to the printing operation of the machine.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a platen. type carrying means, one of said parts being capable of movement toward and from the other, type carried by said means, a centering plate having therein a series of openings arranged to stand above said platen for indicating where a plurality of characters will be impressed in a line when a loose article is placed by the user of the machine above said platen, and means for automatically moving the centering plate away from the platen just prior to the printing operation of the machine.

3. 'In a machine of the class described,

the combination of a platen, a type bearinghead capable of movement toward and. from messes the platen, a guard device having an opening therein above the platen, a centering device mounted on the guard device and through which characters 011 an article tobe marked may be viewed by an operator, and means connected with and operated by the movable type bearing head for moving said centering device from position over the platen to position spaced apart from the platen during the time that the type bearing head approaches the platen.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a platen, a type bearing head capable of movement toward and from the platen, a guard device having an opening therein above the platen, a centering device mounted on the guard device and through which characters on an article to bemarked may be viewed by an operator, means connected with and operated by the movable type bearing head for moving said centering device from position over the platen to position spaced apart from the platen during the time that the type bearing head approaches the platen, and spring actuated means for returning the centering device to position over the platen during the time that the type bearing head withdraws from the platen.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a platen, a type bearing head capable of movement toward and from the platen, a guard device supported adjacent to the platen and having an opening therein through which the platen may pass, a centering plate having a series of openings therein of such size and arrangement that the individual characters of a mark on a laundry article may all be viewed by the operator, arms connected to said plate, shafts on which said arms are fixed, a pinion on one of said shafts, a rack bar in mesh with the pinion, a bell crank lever connected to said rack bar, a spring attached to one end of said lever, and an arm connected to the movable type bearing head and designed to engage said bell. crank lever, arranged. and combined substantially in the manner set forth and for the purposes stated.

Des Moines, Iowa, May 28, 1915.

CLARENCE C. MITCHELL.

\Vitnesses:

EDWARD J. ARMBRUSTER, TILLIAM SoHwAEenRLE.

Uonies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

